"There seem to be very few houses around here,after all," remarked Ojo, after they had walkedfor a time in silence.

"Never mind," said Scraps; "we are not lookingfor houses, but rather the road of yellow bricks.Won't it be funny to run across something yellowin this dismal blue country?"

"There are worse colors than yellow in thiscountry," asserted the Glass Cat, in a spitefultone.

"Oh; do you mean the pink pebbles you callyour brains, and your red heart and green eyes?"asked the Patchwork Girl.

"No; I mean you, if you must know it," growledthe cat.

"You're jealous!" laughed Scraps. "You'd giveyour whiskers for a lovely variegated complexionlike mine."

"I wouldn't!" retorted the cat. "I've theclearest complexion in the world, and I don'temploy a beauty-doctor, either."

"I see you don't," said Scraps.

"Please don't quarrel," begged Ojo. "This is animportant journey, and quarreling makes mediscouraged. To be brave, one must be cheerful, soI hope you will be as good-tempered as possible."

They had traveled some distance when suddenlythey faced a high fence which barred any furtherprogress straight ahead. It ran directly acrossthe road and enclosed a small forest of talltrees, set close together. When the group ofadventurers peered through the bars of the fencethey thought this forest looked more gloomy andforbidding than any they had ever seen before.

They soon discovered that the path they hadbeen following now made a bend and passedaround the enclosure, but what made Ojo stopand look thoughtful was a sign painted on thefence which read:

"BEWARE OF THE WOOZY!"

"That means," he said, "that there's a Woozyinside that fence, and the Woozy must be adangerous animal or they wouldn't tell peopleto beware of it."

"Let's keep out, then," replied Scraps. "Thatpath is outside the fence, and Mr. Woozy may haveall his little forest to himself, for all we care."

"But one of our errands is to find a Woozy,"Ojo explained. "The Magician wants me to getthree hairs from the end of a Woozy's tail."

"Let's go on and find some other Woozy,"suggested the cat. "This one is ugly anddangerous, or they wouldn't cage him up. Maybewe shall find another that is tame and gentle."

"Perhaps there isn't any other, at all,"answered Ojo. "The sign doesn't say: 'Beware aWoozy'; it says: 'Beware the Woozy,' which may,mean there's only one in all the Land of Oz.

"Then," said Scraps, "suppose we go in andfind him? Very likely if we ask him politely tolet us pull three hairs out of the tip of his tailhe won't hurt us."

"It would hurt him, I'm sure, and that wouldmake him cross," said the cat.

"You needn't worry, Bungle," remarked thePatchwork Girl; "for if there is danger you canclimb a tree. Ojo and I are not afraid; are we,Ojo?"

"I am, a little," the boy admitted; "but thisdanger must be faced, if we intend to save poor

Unc Nunkie. How shall we get over the fence?"

"Climb," answered Scraps, and at once she beganclimbing up the rows of bars. Ojo followed andfound it more easy than he had expected. When theygot to the top of the fence they began to get downon the other side and soon were in the forest. TheGlass Cat, being small, crept between the lowerbars and joined them.

Here there was no path of any sort, so theyentered the woods, the boy leading the way,and wandered through the trees until they werenearly in the center of the forest. They nowcame upon a clear space in which stood a rockycave.

So far they had met no living creature, butwhen Ojo saw the cave he knew it must be theden of the Woozy.

It is hard to face any savage beast withouta sinking of the heart, but still more terrifyingis it to face an unknown beast, which you havenever seen even a picture of. So there is littlewonder that the pulses of the Munchkin boybeat fast as he and his companions stood facingthe cave. The opening was perfectly square,and about big enough to admit a goat.

"I guess the Woozy is asleep," said Scraps."Shall I throw in a stone, to waken him?"

"No; please don't," answered Ojo, his voicetrembling a little. "I'm in no hurry."

But he had not long to wait, for the Woozyheard the sound of voices and came trotting outof his cave. As this is the only Woozy that hasever lived, either in the Land of Oz or out ofit, I must describe it to you.

The creature was all squares and flat surfacesand edges. Its head was an exact square, likeone of the building-blocks a child plays with;therefore it had no ears, but heard soundsthrough two openings in the upper corners. Itsnose, being in the center of a square surface,was flat, while the mouth was formed by theopening of the lower edge of the block. Thebody of the Woozy was much larger than itshead, but was likewise block-shaped--beingtwice as long as it was wide and high. The tailwas square and stubby and perfectly straight,and the four legs were made in the same way,each being four-sided. The animal was coveredwith a thick, smooth skin and had no hair at allexcept at the extreme end of its tail, where theregrew exactly three stiff, stubby hairs. The beastwas dark blue in color and his face was notfierce nor ferocious in expression, but rathergood-humored and droll.

Seeing the strangers, the Woozy folded hishind legs as if they Lad been hinged and satdown to look his visitors over.

"Well, well," he exclaimed; "what a queer lotyou are! at first I thought some of thosemiserable Munchkin farmers had come to annoy me,but I am relieved to find you in their stead. Itis plain to me that you are a remarkable group--asremarkable in your way as I am in mine--and so youare welcome to my domain. Nice place, isn't it?But lonesome-dreadfully lonesome."

"Why did they shut you up here?" askedScraps, who was regarding the queer, squarecreature with much curiosity.

"Because I eat up all the honey-bees whichthe Munchkin farmers who live around herekeep to make them honey."

"Are you fond of eating honey-bees?" inquiredthe boy.

"Very. They are really delicious. But thefarmers did not like to lose their bees and sothey tried to destroy me. Of course they couldn'tdo that."

"Why not?"

"My skin is so thick and tough that nothing canget through it to hurt me. So, finding they couldnot destroy me, they drove me into this forest andbuilt a fence around me. Unkind, wasn't it?"

"But what do you eat now?" asked Ojo.

"Nothing at all. I've tried the leaves from thetrees and the mosses and creeping vines, but theydon't seem to suit my taste. So, there being nohoney-bees here, I've eaten nothing for years.

"You must be awfully hungry," said the boy."I've got some bread and cheese in my basket.Would you like that kind of food?"

"Give me a nibble and I will try it; then Ican tell you better whether it is grateful to myappetite," returned the Woozy.

So the boy opened his basket and broke apiece off the loaf of bread. He tossed it towardthe Woozy, who cleverly caught it in his mouthand ate it in a twinkling.

"That's rather good," declared the animal."Any more?"

"Try some cheese," said Ojo, and threw down apiece.

The Woozy ate that, too, and smacked its long,thin lips.

"That's mighty good!" it exclaimed. "Any more?"

"Plenty," replied Ojo. So he sat down on a Stumpand fed the Woozy bread and cheese for a longtime; for, no matter how much the boy broke off,the loaf and the slice remained just as big.

"That'll do," said the Woozy, at last; "I'mquite full. I hope the strange food won't giveme indigestion.

"I hope not," said Ojo. "It's what I eat."

"Well, I must say I'm much obliged, andI'm glad you came," announced the beast. "Isthere anything I can do in return for yourkindness?"

"Yes," said Ojo earnestly, "you have it inyour power to do me a great favor, if you will."

"What is it?" asked the Woozy. "Name thefavor and I will grant it."

"I--I want three hairs from the tip of yourtail," said Ojo, with some hesitation.

"Three hairs! Why, that's all I have--on mytail or anywhere else," exclaimed the beast.

"I know; but I want them very much."

"They are my sole ornaments, my prettiestfeature," said the Woozy, uneasily. "If I giveup those three hairs I--I'm just a blockhead."

"Yet I must have them," insisted the boy,firmly, and he then told the Woozy all about theaccident to Unc Nunkie and Margolotte, and how thethree hairs were to be a part of the magic charmthat would restore them to life. The beastlistened with attention and when Ojo had finishedthe recital it said, with a sigh.

"I always keep my word, for I pride myself onbeing square. So you may have the three hairs, andwelcome. I think, under such circumstances, itwould be selfish in me to refuse you."

"Thank you! Thank you very much," criedthe boy, joyfully. "May I pull out the hairsnow?"

"Any time you like," answered the Woozy.

So Ojo went up to the queer creature andtaking hold of one of the hairs began to pull.He pulled harder. He pulled with all his might;but the hair remained fast.

"What's the trouble?" asked the Woozy,which Ojo had dragged here and there allaround the clearing in his endeavor to pull outthe hair.

"It won't come," said the boy, panting.

"I was afraid of that," declared the beast."You'll have to pull harder."

"I'll help you," exclaimed Scraps, coming tothe boy's side. "You pull the hair, and I'll pullyou, and together we ought to get it out easily."

"Wait a jiffy," called the Woozy, and thenit went to a tree and hugged it with its frontpaws, so that its body couldn't be draggedaround by the pull. "All ready, now. Go ahead!"

Ojo grasped the hair with both hands andpulled with all his strength, while Scraps seizedthe boy around his waist and added her strengthto his. But the hair wouldn't budge. Instead, itslipped out of Ojo's hands and he and Scrapsboth rolled upon the ground in a heap and neverstopped until they bumped against the rockycave.

"Give it up," advised the Glass Cat, as theboy arose and assisted the Patchwork Girl to herfeet. "A dozen strong men couldn't pull outthose Hairs. I believe they're clinched on theunder side of the Woozy's thick skin."

"Then what shall I do?" asked the boy,despairingly. "If on our return I fail to takethese three hairs to the Crooked Magician, theother things I have come to seek will be of nouse at all, and we cannot restore Unc Nunkieand Margolotte to life."

"They're goners, I guess," said the PatchworkGirl.

"Never mind," added the cat. "I can't see thatold Unc and Margolotte are worth all this trouble,anyhow."

But Ojo did not feel that way. He was sodisheartened that he sat down upon a stump andbegan to cry.

The Woozy looked at the boy thoughtfully.

"Why don't you take me with you?" asked thebeast. "Then, when at last you get to theMagician's house, he can surely find some way topull out those three hairs."

Ojo was overjoyed at this suggestion.

"That's it!" he cried, wiping away the tearsand springing to his feet with a smile. "If I takethe three hairs to the Magician, it won't matterif they are still in your body."

"It can't matter in the least," agreed theWoozy.

"Come on, then," said the boy, picking up hisbasket; "let us start at once. I have several otherthings to find, you know."

But the Class Cat gave a little laugh andinquired in her scornful way:

"How do you intend to get the beast out of thisforest?"

That puzzled them all for a time.

"Let us go to the fence, and then we may find away," suggested Scraps. So they walked through theforest to the fence, reaching it at a pointexactly opposite that where they had entered theenclosure.

"How did you get in?" asked the Woozy.

"We climbed over," answered Ojo.

"I can't do that," said the beast. "I'm a veryswift runner, for I can overtake a honey-bee asit flies; and I can jump very high, which is thereason they made such a tall fence to keep mein. But I can't climb at all, and I'm too big tosqueeze between the bars of the fence."

Ojo tried to think what to do.

"Can you dig?" he asked.

"No," answered the Woozy, "for I have noclaws. My feet are quite flat on the bottom ofthem. Nor can I gnaw away the boards, as Ihave no teeth."

"You're not such a terrible creature, after all,"remarked Scraps.

"You haven't heard me growl, or you wouldn't saythat," declared the Woozy. "When I growl, thesound echoes like thunder all through the valleysand woodlands, and children tremble with fear, andwomen cover their heads with their aprons, and bigmen run and hide. I suppose there is nothing inthe world so terrible to listen to as the growl ofa Woosy."

"Please don't growl, then," begged Ojo,earnestly.

"There is no danger of my growling, forI am not angry. Only when angry do I uttermy fearful, ear-splitting, soul-shuddering growl.Also, when I am angry, my eyes flash fire,whether I growl or not."

"Real fire?" asked Ojo.

"Of course, real fire. Do you suppose they'dflash imitation fire?" inquired the Woozy, in aninjured tone.

"In that case, I've solved the riddle," criedScraps, dancing with glee. "Those fence-boardsare made of wood, and if the Woozy standsclose to the fence and lets his eyes flash fire,they might set fire to the fence and burn it up.Then he could walk away with us easily, beingfree."

"Ah, I have never thought of that plan, or Iwould have been free long ago," said the Woozy."But I cannot flash fire from my eyes unless I amvery angry."

"Can't you get angry 'bout something, please?"asked Ojo.

"I'll try. You just say 'Krizzle-Kroo' to me."

"Will that make you angry?" inquired the boy~.

"Terribly angry."

"What does it mean?" asked Scraps.

"I don't know; that's what makes me so angry,"re-plied the Woozy.

He then stood close to the fence, with hishead near one of the boards, and Scraps called out"Krizzle-Kroo!" Then Ojo said "Krizzle-Kroo!"and the Glass Cat said "Krizzle-Kroo!" The Woozybegan to tremble with anger and small sparksdarted from his eyes. Seeing this, they all cried"Krizzle-Kroo!" together, and that made thebeast's eyes flash fire so fiercely that thefence-board caught the sparks and began to smoke.Then it burst into flame, and the Woozy steppedback and said triumphantly:

"Aha! That did the business, all right. It wasa happy thought for you to yell all together, forthat made me as angry as I have ever been.Fine sparks, weren't they?"

"Reg'lar fireworks," replied Scraps, admiringly.

In a few moments the board had burned to adistance of several feet, leaving an opening bigenough for them all to pass through. Ojo brokesome branches from a tree and with themwhipped the fire until it was extinguished.

"We don't want to burn the whole fencedown," said he, "for the flames would attractthe attention of the Munchkin farmers, whowould then come and capture the Woozy again.I guess they'll be rather surprised when theyfind he's escaped."

"So they will," declared the Woozy, chucklinggleefully. "When they find I'm gone the farmerswill be badly scared, for they'll expect me to eatup their honey-bees, as I did before."

"That reminds me," said the boy, "that you mustpromise not to eat honey-bees while you are in ourcompany."

"None at all?"

"Not a bee. You would get us all into trouble,and we can't afford to have any more trouble thanis necessary. I'll feed you all the bread andcheese you want, and that must satisfy you."

"All right; I'll promise," said the Woozy,cheerfully. "And when I promise anything youcan depend on it, 'cause I'm square."

"I don't see what difference that makes,"observed the Patchwork Girl, as they found thepath and continued their journey. "The shapedoesn't make a thing honest, does it?"

"Of course it does," returned the Woozy, verydecidedly. "No one could trust that CrookedMagician, for instance, just because he iscrooked; but a square Woozy couldn't do anythingcrooked if he wanted to."

"I am neither square nor crooked," saidScraps, looking down at her plump body.

"No; you're round, so you're liable to doanything," asserted the Woozy. "Do not blame me,Miss Gorgeous, if I regard you with suspicion.Many a satin ribbon has a cotton back."

Scraps didn't understand this, but she had anuneasy misgiving that she had a cotton backherself. It would settle down, at times, and makeher squat and dumpy, and then she had to rollherself in the road until her body stretched out again.